South Korea warmed up for the 2012 Olympics football competition with a comprehensive victory over a poor Senegal side at the Lamex Stadium.

Korea, whose side includes Arsenal striker Ju Young Park and Celtic midfielder Sung Yueng Ki, were by far the stronger of the two sides and thoroughly deserved the win against a lacklustre Senegal team who are Team GB’s first opponents next week (July 26).

If the opening six minutes are anything to go by then Team GB have little to worry about when they come to face Senegal.

South Korea made a blistering start to the game as they scored twice within the opening minutes and throughout the first period they put on wave after wave of attack with the Senegalese struggling to contain them.

Korea opened their account through a rasping 35-yard shot from Celtic playmaker Ki and then doubled their lead moments later when a free kick from the same player to the far post was side-footed home by Park of Arsenal.

Korea were by far the most adventurous of the two sides in the first half and they got a thoroughly deserved third on the half-hour mark.

Changsoo Kim put in a cross from the right which went a little behind Bokyung Kim. Kim tried to flick the ball into the goal with his heel, but his effort was blocked, before Jacheol Koo, running in from the edge of the area, put his laces through the ball from close range for goal number three.

Senegal came out in the second half with an enthusiasm which was lacking in the first. Everton midfielder Magaye Gueye was one of the half-time changes and he should have pulled a goal back not long after the restart but, unmarked, he headed wide when he should have hit the target.

In fairness, that was the only real chance for either team in the second and bar some ridiculously bad decision making from Senegal goalkeeper Ousmane Mane the game petered out to a 3-0 victory for a very capable Korean team.

As Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership waits for an announcement on government funds which could be used to revamp Stevenage railway station and begin the transformation of the town centre, Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland has claimed it does not have the backing of millions of pounds of private funds it has suggested.